COVID-19 Student Perspectives

With the current COVID-19 situation sweeping across the globe, many of our boarders were unable to return to TSS due to travel restrictions. With the TSS Virtual classes continuing for our boarders, the boys have been able to keep up with their studies and in touch with TSS mates.

We asked a few of our boarders, both residing internationally and here in Australia, how they have felt during this last term and what their ‘normal’ school day looks like now.

Jack Towne, Year 10 - McKinley

Hi, my name is Jack Towne and my family and I live on a remote cattle station in the Kimberleys, Western Australia, which we manage. The station is about 1.4 million acres and can run up to 70,000 head of cattle. Recently the school has opened back up to senior boarders, but I won’t be going back until Term Four due to the strict WA border restrictions, particularly in the Kimberleys.

Kiirra Bligh, Year 12 - Delpratt

Well hasn’t this been an interesting time in everyone’s lives? My name is Kiirra Bligh I am currently the Vice-Captain of Delpratt House. TSS has allowed all students to be able to learn from home with the new online learning. This, with all that is going on, is exceptional as people like myself in Year 12 are still able to learn in their final year. It is a bit of a struggle being at home and doing school work as most boarders like myself work with their family during the holidays and have found it hard to balance both, but overall have managed to do so with great attendance from most boarders especially in Delpratt.

Boys have been socialising over social media and the House meetings Mr Bland provides with breakout rooms. This has allowed the boys to not lose contact with their mates. I can guarantee all the boys are keen to get back to school but as a whole, everyone has taken the misguiding virus and made it into a positive with all boys, teachers and parents doing the best they can in this abnormal time.

Jack Ware, Year 10 Delpratt

From a city of skyscrapers to a country flooded with wildlife and wonders, Hong Kong is completely different to Australia. Eight million people thriving in a landmass 0.01% the size of Australia makes for an experience like no other. Hong Kong is made up of numerous islands and is a one-hour drive from China. It has a large British heritage and brings people of all nationalities together. Thousands of boarding students located around the world fly home to HK every term break. After the emergence of the Coronavirus outbreak, life in Hong Kong has drastically changed. Gone, are the bustling streets and flooded train stations. Gone, are the hundreds of markets and stalls that line the roads of the city. Gone is all signs of life. This has resulted in quite a different experience for the thousands of students returning from abroad. Despite this, I have still managed to keep life somewhat normal from the confines of my neighbourhood. I exercise daily, whether it is playing soccer, basketball, tennis or hiking I try to get out of the house. I focus on my school work while still helping my siblings with theirs and staying in contact with my mates.

While life in Hong Kong has changed, I am slowly getting used to it and keeping a positive outlook on things. I still manage to do everything that I would beforehand, and I’ve been trying many new things. While life at home is great, I can’t wait to return to Australia and to TSS.

Finnegan Beirne, Year 10 Delpratt

I live and have grown up in Lae, on the east coast of Papua New Guinea (PNG). In Lae there are many different things you can do during your day; game fishing is what I mostly spend my time doing on holidays or weekends. Game fishing in Papua New Guinea has so many different aspects and species you can target - it is a place that is very uncharted. Our target game fish is mostly a blue marlin, within the waters of PNG we are a ‘breeding ground’ for blue marlin where the average size is from 40 – 200kg then commonly they move down towards Australia.

While we enjoy catching blue marlin PNG has some of the best reef systems in the world, so we enjoy targeting reef species as well. Once a year there is a 10-day fishing competition in the four main towns and cities being Pom, Lae, Rabaul, and Madang. This is a great chance for all the anglers and different people from towns or cities to see what another spot has to offer.

Angus Coleman, Year 9 Delpratt

Although the look of the holidays for the boys on the Gold Coast and other cities around the world may have looked very boring, the holidays at “Yamboon” were as busy as ever. For the first two weeks I had online school but during the holidays it was straight into work with lots of metal work and rebuilds - the main job being fixing the scraper bucket. In the time I spent working, I learned the new skill of hardfacing.

Over the school holidays I was planning on using my new water ski that I brought with money I earned over the Christmas holidays but that was unable to happen. So, we had to fill the time up with something else like motor bike riding and bonfires. When the school holidays ended my brother and I went back to school, and we had an Austrian backpacker join us for planting. One of his first experiences on our farm was waking up at 5am for the ANZAC day dawn service over the radio. When my school days are finished my job is to go light fires in the paddocks to burn off all the dead weeds and at the moment with planting in full swing it looks as though there is no slowing down while at home.

Mac Chandler, Year 9 Delpratt

My experience being home over the time we have been quarantined has been an experience I will never forget. It has been a much different holiday than I normally have when going back home. Although it has been different not being allowed to go to the corner store to get milk, I believe this pandemic is an experience that we can all take something out of. Whether it be not going to school, being at home, spending time with your family or making an effort to get more fit, there is something we all can enjoy within this experience.

Over the last month and my experience has been an enjoyable one as I have been able to do things I would not be able to do every weekend or throughout the day if I were at school. For example, I have spent a lot of time fishing down on my beach and in the boat on the water. But isolation has also left me with the painful task of gardening and chores around the house. Although I am missing my friends at TSS and can’t be playing footy in the arvos, I am still thankful of being home.

Legion Walker, Year 7 Rogers

Year 7 student Legion Walker is from Mornington Island up in the Gulf of Carpentaria. After arriving home and spending some days continuing his schooling through our online learning program, our Indigenous Coordinator Cameron Lesto rang Legion’s dad to see how he was going. The feedback his Dad gave was that all the boarding students had returned to the Island from various schools but Legion was the only student on the Island who had been able to continue his school work because TSS had set up online classrooms and resources.

This was a huge relief for Legion and his father as they feared he would fall behind because of the unique situation the world was facing. Legion’s father wanted to pass on his thanks to all the TSS community for their hard work in these trying times.

Cyruss Khern, Year 10 Biddle

Overseas travelling in these times is certainly different, the planes and airports were pretty much empty which isn’t usually the case. Once arriving in Singapore, I had to stay at home for 14 days, where all I did was sleep, watch movies and go to online school. Singapore has been in partial lock-down since April, and it has been recently extended. Masks must be worn outside, and gatherings and dining in is not allowed. Also, each family can only have one member of the house leaving at once. Security check your temperature and scan your identity card everywhere. I have only left the house to work and buy groceries, but other than that, I am getting used to quarantine life. Spending more time with family and being able to stay connected with friends through social media makes this situation a lot better. I have been trying to at least somewhat stay in shape by going for a short run every afternoon, as that is the only exercise allowed anymore.